


Shear Happenstance

by thewildtype



Series: Damie One Shots [5]
Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: F/F, Gardening accident, Hurt/Comfort, Tumblr Prompt, nurse Dani to the rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:36:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29527911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewildtype/pseuds/thewildtype
Summary: Jamie endures a few workplace injuries that brings her closer to her crush
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Jamie, Dani Clayton/Jamie
Series: Damie One Shots [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108964
Comments: 10
Kudos: 127





	Shear Happenstance

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr Prompt: Jamie gets hurt while gardening and Dani is there to take care of her

The afternoon heat was relentless. It was a continuous assault of sunshine brutally beating down unchallenged without a cloud nor a breeze to offer a temporary reprieve. Beads of sweat rolled down Jamie’s forehead threatening to cascade over her lashes into her eyes and obstruct her vision as she attempted to reign in one of the few plants in the garden that wasn’t wilting away in the arid climate.

The roses didn’t seem to mind the extra sun at all. In fact, they were thriving in this weather. Standing proud in all their glory with their leaves reaching towards the sky welcoming the extra energy from the sun. Jamie on the other hand, was not nearly as thrilled to be out and about on this unusually hot day. But given the heat wave, the roses would just keep growing out of control unless she was there to trim them.

She curses under her breath every time her sweaty palms slide within her gloves. Frustrated with her compromised grip, Jamie removes the gloves feeling instant relief the moment the stifling barrier is gone. She pockets them in the front of her overalls and then wipes her brow with the back of her hand as she takes a breather.

It would appear the roses weren’t the only inhabitants enjoying the sunny day. Miles and Flora were playing some game that resembles tag in the yard while the adults, Hannah and Dani, supervised them from nearby lawn chairs under the cover of a large umbrella. The two women were thoroughly engrossed in a pleasant conversation. Hannah was speaking animatedly with her hands waving about while Dani threw her head back as she laughs. The sweet noise was infectious, soon Hannah was hunched over clutching her belly as she giggles along with Dani. Jamie found herself stifling her own chuckles despite not having heard a word of Dani and Hannah’s conversation.

It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to spontaneous burst into laughter from the sound of someone’s else’s laughter alone. But Dani wasn’t just anyone. At least not to Jamie. She has been harboring a small crush on the au pair over the past week and was eager to jump at any opportunity to remain in Dani’s presence.

Jamie turns her attention back to trimming the rose bushes hoping to finish up quickly so she could make up an excuse to talk to Dani while she was still outside. She forgoes using her gloves, finding it easier to maneuver the sheers with her bare hands allowing her to actually make some progress with her work. In between snips, she steels glances at Dani.

She catches a glimpse of Dani as she takes a sip of lemonade, focusing on the bob of her neck and purse of her lips as she drinks. She didn’t know what she wanted more in that moment, to have the cool the lemonade for herself or to be that lucky glass of lemonade pressed against those plush lips. After trying to go back to work to derail her less than decent thoughts, Jamie was pulled from pruning by a loud grating sound. She glanced up from her flowers, looking in the direction of the offending noise. There she notices Dani dragging her chair along the gravel out from the shade of the umbrella. The unpleasant noise stops once Dani positions her chair in the direct sunlight. Without warning and her back facing Jamie, Dani whips off her long sleeve shirt in one smooth motion revealing a thin form fitting tank top.

Jamie’s breath hitches.

She was utterly memorized by the goddess before her shaking her long flowing hair in a passing breeze. Waiting, and waiting for her to turn around…

“AHH! Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Jamie howls in pain as she silently berates herself for wielding a sharp metal object while hopelessly distracted. She immediately drops the pruning shears to the ground and clutches the fresh wound on her index finger alarmed by the sheer amount of blood gushing from the cut.

In a state of panic, she pivots away from the rose bushes with the intention of going inside to take care of her injury. Instead of stepping on the stone pathway, Jamie accidently sets her right foot directly into the bucket of rose trimmings effectively trapping her foot inside the container. The uneven surface along with her momentum sends her hurtling towards the ground unable to properly break her fall due to her injured hand. She lands funny with a knock to the right side of her head and sickening audible pop followed by an uncomfortable warmth spreading from her ankle up the length of her calf muscle.

In the aftermath of the commotion, Jamie lies there motionless breathing through the pain coming from _everywhere_ while holding her hand firmly against her chest. A high-pitched distressed voice repeatedly calls out her name from across the garden. In an instant, Dani is at her side with Hannah trailing a few paces behind.

“Jamie! Are you ok?” Dani asks as her wild eyes dart from side to side, fueled with panic.

“I’ve been better.” Jamie responds trying to brush it off her embarrassment from the entire ordeal and put Dani at ease.

“Do you think you can stand?” Hannah tentatively asks.

Something told Jamie that the answer was a solid no, but she tried anyway in a misguided attempt not to look like a feeble klutz in front of her crush. The beautiful woman who was currently crouched over her, leaning close into her space, while wearing that skimpy, glorious tank top that caused this entire predicament in the first place. Jamie shook her head knocking some sense into herself and averting her eyes from her wonderfully distracting crush. She focuses intensely on her foot lodged in the metal bucket. When she fails to extract her ankle, she releases an involuntary whimper.

“Easy there. Let me help you.” Dani coos as she carefully takes hold of the bucket. Jamie nods in agreement and releases a long-pained exhalation as Dani gingerly frees her throbbing foot.

“Come on, let’s get you out of this scorching heat.” Hannah suggests. She bends at the waist grabbing Jamie’s good arm to help stabilize her. Dani follows suit with the other. Together, they help Jamie hobble along the garden path and into the main house. Once inside, they guide Jamie to the couch propping her back up against the side of the arm rest allowing her to stretch out her legs. The instant she is settled, Dani gets to work fusing over her while Hannah dashes off to collect the first aid kit.

“I’m ok really.” Jamie half-heartedly insists.

“Jamie you are the definition of not ok. You can’t walk, you’re in pain, and you’re currently bleeding everywhere. Now, please sit still and let me help you.”

It was the concern Dani’s voice along with the anxiety shimmering in her eyes that gave Jamie pause. The au pair seemed genuinely worried about her like she truly cared about her well-being. The prospect of someone as wonderful as Dani actually caring about her caused a newfound warmth to nestle within her chest.

She remained silent, cooperating with Dani’s every instruction. She stifles another pained groan while Dani attempts to remove her leather boot off of her injured foot as carefully as possible as not to cause any more pain than necessary. Just as they were finishing, Hannah returns with the first aid kit.

“Thank you!” Dani says, grabbing the supplies from Hannah, “I can take it from here. Would you mind looking after the kids?”

Hannah nods in agreement, “Of course. Just shout if you need anything.” The housekeeper swiftly exits the living room in search of the children leaving Jamie and Dani alone.

“Um, do you mind if I…” Dani trails off pointing at the sliver of unoccupied cushion along the edge of the couch. Jamie’s eyes widen as she quickly infers what Dani is hinting at.

“Oh, sure! Let me just,” Jamie scoots over on the couch, patting the plush cushion as an invitation for Dani to join her, “There you go.”

Dani smiles, taking a seat next to her. Then she opens up the first aid kit in her lap and rummages through the contents.

“Do you know what you’re doin’?” Jamie inquires somewhat out of curiosity but mostly because she is desperate to engage Dani in any conversation whatsoever. She gulps when Dani extracts a bottle of rubbing alcohol and pack of gauze from the bag of medical supplies.

“Yes, all teachers in America are required to take a training class in basic first aid. I’m a scissor accident veteran so you’ve got nothing to worry about.” Dani explains as she gingerly swaps the first aid kit in her lap for Jamie’s injured hand. Jamie averts her eyes from the gore as Dani blots the caked blood on her skin with the alcohol-soaked gauze.

“I’ll have you know it was gardenin’ shears I cut myself with and not wee scissors.”

Dani playfully quirks an eyebrow in response. “Aren’t they just big scissors for plants?”

Jamie racks her brain trying to formulate a witty come back to that. When it’s painfully apparent she’s got nothing, Dani smiles and giggles clearly pleased with herself. Jamie can’t help but laugh along with her. Soon her chuckles morph into hisses of agony as searing pain radiates from her index finger. She reflectively recoils away from the offending disinfectant.

“Sorry.” Dani quickly apologies, “Unfortunately, the most important step in cleaning the wound is the most painful one.”

“It’s ok.” Jamie mutters through a strained breath. She offers her injured hand back to Dani who then proceeds to dab the angry wound as delicately as possible while she meticulously cleans it.

Jamie distracts herself from the stinging and burning by opting to focus on Dani instead.

From the close proximity, Jamie notices a smattering of freckles on the bridge of Dani’s nose and the reddish tinge gracing her cheeks from her time in the sun. The slender muscles of her neck flex as she tilts her head from side to side as she works. Jamie’s eyes travel lower, memorized by all the finer details she is discovering about Dani. She is delighted to find out she has more freckles still gracing the tops of her shoulders. Jamie couldn’t help but wonder how many Dani had and how long it would take to count them all.

She is suddenly torn from her daydreaming by Dani’s abrupt appraisal of her injured hand.

“Looks like the cut isn’t too deep. You’re very lucky. Looks like you’ll get to keep your finger.”

Jamie’s entire hand tingles, in a good way, as Dani’s finger pads stroke the intact skin around the wound.

“That’s a relief. I need my fingers.”

The reddish tinge on Dani’s face deepens into a scarlet hue at her offhanded comment. Jamie quickly tries to clarify what she meant by that comment. “You know for gardening. I work with my hands.”

Dani bites her lip giving Jamie the impression she was having _other_ thoughts about what she needed her hands for. This was only confirmed when Dani met her gaze. The mischief swimming in her cerulean eyes caused Jamie’s cheeks to burn. Almost immediately, her mind wanders to what she would love to do with her hands right now. Thread them through Dani’s loose curls, finally discovering if they were as silky and soft as they looked. Scratch her nails along Dani’s scalp and tug gently at the roots, wondering if Dani would like that.

Dani proceeds to wrap Jamie’s cut in a clean bandage. When she finishes, she looks up from her handy work to meet Jamie’s eyeline. A swarm of butterflies wreak havoc in the pit of her stomach when Jamie catches Dani’s eyes flicker to her lips, resting there for a few noticeable beats.

Her heart sinks, when Dani’s eyes flit away and her entire demeanor changes from cheeky to concerned. Soon Jamie realizes what Dani was worried about when she felt a warm liquid trickle down the right side of her face. Dani settles Jamie’s wrapped injured hand in her lap. She then takes a clean piece of gauze and wipes along Jamie’s temple and settles her other hand along the underside of Jamie’s jaw.

“Turn towards me.” Dani says breathlessly. She uses her grip along Jamie’s mandible to guide her face slightly to the left. Once she has better access to the gash along Jamie’s forehead, Dani carefully wipes the warm blood from her face. Dani grimaces slightly as she inspects her brow which makes Jamie nervous.

“I’m going to clean the cut on your forehead now. This might sting a little, ok?” Dani asks as she soaks the gauze with alcohol.

“Ok.” Jamie whispers.

Dani leans in closer. Their faces are so close Jamie could feel Dani’s warm breath brush along her cheek as she works.

“How bad is it?” Jamie asks. She fights the urge to melt into Dani’s tender touch. Keeping as still as she can, while her entire body hums to life and her heart pounds wildly against her ribcage.

“Not too bad.” Dani admits. Her voice sounds shaky, as if she too was equally affected by their close proximity.

Jamie dry swallows the lump in the back of her throat. She decides to push her luck with a bit of flirting.

“It would be a terrible shame if this left a permanent mark on this otherwise perfect face.” She adds a disarming crooked smile for good measure thrilling when Dani smiles sweetly in response. The adorable blonde wistfully brushes a strand of hair away from the cut and across her brow. She then applies a thin layer of antibiotic ointment to the wound. It was cool and soothing.

“I don’t know it might just suit you. Sometimes scars can be sexy.”

The room fell silent. A testament to the fact that neither one of them expected this response. Dani blushes furiously as she stuffs the antibiotic ointment in the first aid kit. She hops of the couch and proceeds to talk a mile a minute without taking a single breathe.

“Uh what I mean is your face looks perfect- uh, _perfectly clean_ that is. And your finger is in one piece which is good because you need it, to do work and well, whatever else it is that you get into- up to- around to! Oh boy. It’s- I mean, yeah.”

Jamie couldn’t fight the triumphant smile from spreading across her face while listening to Dani’s flustered rambling.

“Easy there Poppins. Don’t forget to breath. All though if you pass out due to exhaustion, I’ll take care of you best I can. No promises on how well that will turn out. Gardeners aren’t exactly qualified for takin’ care of people.” She caught Dani’s nervous glance, “But I’d do my best to return the favor for all you’ve done for me today.”

Her genuine appreciation for Dani’s care seems to put her at ease. She finally takes a few deep breaths and her shoulders visibly relax. “That’s sweet of you to say but we’re not done yet. Still need to have a look at your ankle now that all the bleeding has stopped.”

All of her cool and bravado is lost the second Dani starts rolling up her pant leg. Each brush of the rough denim against her tender leg causes her to emit a pathetic whimper.

“Hmm, of all your injuries, this one looks the best. Just some swelling and a tiny bruise by the bone. Are you able to move it at all?

Jamie can barely budge her busted foot. Up and down motions are difficult but harmless. It’s the side-to-side pivots that have her wailing in pain all over again. The sound of her discomfort spurs Dani into action. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

She leaves Jamie alone for no more than a minutes before she is back at her side with a hefty bag of ice and tall glass of water. She secures the bag of ice against Jamie’s ankle.

“Here hold this right here.” Jamie takes the bag of ice from Dani. Their fingers brush against one another as they exchange possession of the bag of ice. The contact sends a jolt of electricity through Jamie’s body and jumpstarts the rapid thumping in her chest all over again. Dani pauses for just a second, lingering with her fingers close to Jamie’s as if she feels the pulse of electricity too. If she did, she was able to recover far more quickly than Jamie. Jamie, on the other hand, was just thankful she was lying down because she might just pass out for real. In her state of dizziness following touching Dani luxurious skin, Jamie closed her eyes opting to focus on steadying her breathing while securing the bag of ice against her foot just has Dani instructed.

“Um, here. Take these.” Dani’s melodic voice pierced through the fog in her mind. When Jamie opened her eyes, she notices a few red tablets and a glass of water in Dani’s outstretched hands. “They will help with the pain and reduce the swelling in your ankle. I can um- take _that_ back.” Dani said in reference to the ice bag. Jamie relinquishes the ice bag, careful not to touch Dani by accident again.

“Ok, thank you.” Jamie said. She took the pills and chases them down with the cold refreshing water.

“It would be best to keep your foot elevated to help reduce the swelling even more. I-I could help you with that too and well, keep you company. If you’d like.”

Jamie smiles with glee at Dani’s sweet offer. “I wouldn’t mind that in the least.”

Dani takes her seat on the opposite end of the couch settling Jamie’s injured foot in her lap with the ice bag resting against it. They sit in comfortable silence for a little while as the medicine kicks in.

“Thank you for all of your help. I’d still be bleedin’ out in the garden if it wasn’t for you.”

A faint blush creeps along Dani’s cheeks. “Oh, that was no trouble at all,” Dani begins as she tucks a loose curl behind her ear, “Besides Hannah helped to. I don’t think I’d be strong enough on my own to get you from all the way out there into the house without hurting you even more.”

“I think you’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

They continued to talk for a while after that. Dani told her stories about all her first aid misadventures while she was a teacher. As expected, Dani’s stories only confirmed what Jamie suspected all along. Dani was a good natured, kind person driven by an instinctual need to help others. She was calm under pressure which made her an absolute asset in a crisis, just like she was today and with all the little ones she’s tended to with scrapes and cuts in the past.

But there was so much more to Dani than that. From their conversation, Jamie could see the noticeable spark of passion dancing in her eyes when she talked about teaching. The hint of worry lines betwixt her brows, that would crease and crinkle when Dani told a more difficult and heart wrenching part of a story.

Jamie was enthralled. Hanging on every word desperate to learn anything and everything about Dani Clayton. She chimed in when she could. Adding a quick joke thrilling when Dani would laugh or when she would flash her incredibly adorable smile.

The longer they talked, the more relaxed Dani became. After a while, she absentmindedly traced her finger pads along Jamie’s calf as she speaks. Her delicate touch was soothing. Soon, Jamie’s eyelids felt heavy as she became shrouded by the serenity of this moment.

At some point during Dani’s tale, Jamie must have drifted off to sleep. She woke up to the smell of something heavenly. She opened her eyes, blinking a few times to allow her eyes to adjust to the dimmer light of dusk.

The first thing she notices is a wrapped plate of food on the coffee table that causes her stomach to growl embarrassingly loud. The next is Dani, who is still sitting next to her on the couch, but now wearing a bulky purple sweater and quirking an eyebrow at her in amusement.

“Looks like I made the right choice by setting aside a dinner plate for you in case you woke up hungry.”

Jamie laughs. She shifts, propping herself up in a sitting position. “Yeah, I’m starvin’. Thank you.”

“How do you feel?”

“So much better.” Jamie honestly admits.

“Good. It’s time to change your bandage but I was waiting for you to wake up first. Do you mind if I take care of that?”

“Of course.” Jamie says while offering her wrapped hand to Dani. Dani carefully takes it removing the current bandage.

After it was completely removed, she inspects the wound, smiling proudly at her handy work. “The cut clotted nicely. It already looks ten times better than it did before.”

“Well, that’s because someone took such great care of it.”

Dani blushes at the praise. She blinks a few times before averting her gaze from Jamie and then proceeds to secure a fresh bandage around Jamie’s wound. “How’s the ankle?”

Jamie steels herself. “Only one way to find out.” She wiggles her ankle slowly from side to side. It feels a little stiff, but surprisingly pliable. Then she rolls it clockwise and counterclockwise breathing a sigh of relief when she doesn’t feel any pain at all.

“It’s official, you’re a miracle healer. I hope they gave you a gold medal at that first aid class.”

Dani laughs nervously at the compliment while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, a nervous habit of hers that Jamie picked up on.

“You didn’t have to fuse over me all day you know.” Jamie said meekly.

“I know… but maybe I wanted to.” Jamie feels her cheeks burn at the admission. Dani stumbles to quickly correct herself, “Uh, you know- I-I wanted to make sure you were ok.”

“I’m glad you did.” Jamie says trying to convey with her purposefully husky tone and lopsided smile that she was thankful for Dani in so many ways.

“Plus, it was really nice to talk to you.” Dani admits. “This may sound weird, but you normally seem unapproachable. Like you have a million things to do and are always on the move. So, it was nice to be able to talk to you while you were sitting in one place long enough to do so.”

Now it was Jamie’s turn to furiously blush.

They stare at each other for a minute, searching for the next thing to say. Dani’s eyes were swimming with… something. Drawing her in. Jamie debated about whether or not she should dive headfirst into those deep pools of blue. Whether she should push her luck and draw out their time together for as long as she possibly could. But she ultimately decides against it. They made a lot of progress today in the getting to know you while making sure you don’t die department. There would be other nights for more.

“Well, it’s late and I should probably let you get back to your evenin’.” Jamie concedes.

“Oh, ok.” Dani muttered sounding disappointed. Her lips twitch slightly as if she was mulling something over. “Or you could… stay. At least until after you eat dinner. Give your body some fuel to help the healing process. It’s standard first aid procedure.”

Jamie couldn’t help the goofy grin from spreading across her face at Dani’s adorable reasoning.

“Can’t argue with that. Was there anythin’ in the first aid trainin’ about keepin’ the injured one company while she eats dinner?”

Dani tucks another strand of hair behind her ear. “Of course, there is.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this bit of Damie hurt/comfort.
> 
> I'd love to hear your thoughts and feelings about this.
> 
> As always, if you have a Damie prompt that you would like to see please feel free to reach out to me on Tumblr @Please-Return-To-Villanelle


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